Joshua Elliott, Marjorie Bonadies spar for Sharkey’s seat

Published
12:30 am EDT, Monday, October 17, 2016

HAMDEN >> The two candidates for the 88th district seat in the state House of Representatives both agree that the state needs to get its fiscal house in order, but have different ideas on how that should be done.

Bonadies is a registered nurse and is married to Dr. John Bonadies. Elliott is the owner of the Common Bond Market in Shelton and Thyme and Season in Hamden.

“I am running for this seat because I think I can help steer Connecticut in the right direction,” Bonadies said. “The General Assembly has been controlled by Democrats since 1984 and we have seen the effects of one-party rule.

Bonadies said she wants to see the state observe the budget spending cap approved by voters in 1992 after the institution of the state income tax.

“But as usual, government got something from us and they gave us nothing in return. As a result, government spending rose 71 percent over the rate of inflation,” she said. “I would be a vote for getting that spending control to be judicially enforceable.”

Elliott, who beat Legislative Council President James Pascarella in the August primary to win the nomination, said there has to be a higher tax rate on the state’s wealthier residents to rectify the fiscal crisis.

“I’m running because I believe that our government can do better. The narrative that we are an overtaxed state has become so ingrained in everyday discourse and it seems that no one is willing to challenge this assumption,” Elliott said. “This is not an issue of over-taxation — it’s an issue of taxing the wrong people and the wrong entities. When our top marginal tax rate is percentage points below our neighbors, and when the middle class has to subsidize huge corporations like Walmart that criminally underpay their workers, the narrative that we are overtaxed ought to be outed as ludicrous.”

The Democratic-controlled legislature, as well as Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, have lost sight of what is important, Bonadies said.

“The state hasn’t managed it’s resources well and the priorities have shifted away from doing things they should be doing like funding education and caring for the most vulnerable in our society,” she said. “The business community is spooked because there is no predictability coming out of Hartford. The taxes and regulation burden have some businesses keeping large sums of money off shore and are reluctant to expand their operations. These are the issues I find most pressing.”

Wages need to be increased in order to improve the economy, said Elliott, who favors a hike in the minimum wage and paid family leave.

“If we do not raise the minimum wage and create more worker-friendly laws, then there will be no base of people with a disposable income necessary for new entrants to a market,” he said. “We are seeing stagnation because the cost of living in CT is so high, not because everything is taxed. We need to combat this by ensuring our workers are paid a living wage, and asking our highest earners to help out.”

Both agreed the state has to do more for municipalities such as Hamden that are being crushed by the burden of property taxes to fund town services such as education.

“If we can start enacting policies that are fair, then the towns will be able to get back more from the state and, especially salient in Hamden, begin to reduce property tax rates,” Elliott said. “Right now, we have the fourth-highest rate in the state. People are starting to leave our town, just five minutes away, because they will save thousands of dollars.”

“I know the problems facing Hamden after serving on the council. We have been sorely underfunded with education cost-sharing dollars and with the PILOT program. If the state had it’s fiscal house in order, it could make sure aid to municipalities was funded adequately,” Bonadies said. “Humbly, I think I’m the best candidate running in this race for the job. Connecticut needs to have some different voices, a better balance to state government. It’s been 19 years since Hamden sent a Republican to Hartford as part of the Hamden delegation and I think it’s about time.”